Lantheus announces FDA acceptance of MK-6240 NDA for Alzheimer's imaging, highlighting its potential in disease detection and management.
Quiver AI Summary
Lantheus Holdings, Inc. announced that the U.S. FDA has accepted its New Drug Application for MK-6240, a novel F18-labeled PET imaging agent aimed at identifying tau neurofibrillary tangles associated with Alzheimer's disease in patients with cognitive impairment. This agent, which received FDA Fast Track designation due to its potential to meet unmet diagnostic needs in Alzheimer's, could enhance existing diagnostic tools and improve treatment strategies if approved by the PDUFA target action date of August 13, 2026. The NDA submission is backed by two successful Phase 3 clinical trials, showing MK-6240's effectiveness in detecting tau pathology. As the prevalence of Alzheimer’s disease is expected to rise significantly in the coming decades, Lantheus is positioning MK-6240 as a critical component in the diagnostic landscape for this condition.
Potential Positives
- The FDA has accepted Lantheus' New Drug Application for MK-6240, a significant step toward the potential commercialization of an innovative Alzheimer's diagnostic tool.
- MK-6240 has received Fast Track designation from the FDA, indicating its potential to address unmet medical needs in Alzheimer's disease diagnostics.
- The NDA submission is backed by data from two pivotal Phase 3 clinical trials that met their co-primary endpoints, showcasing strong efficacy in detecting tau pathology.
- The U.S. Alzheimer's disease radiodiagnostic market shows significant growth potential, estimated to reach over 400,000 scans and $1.5 billion by 2030, which could benefit Lantheus substantially if MK-6240 is approved.
Potential Negatives
- The acceptance of the NDA for MK-6240 does not guarantee approval, and there is a significant risk that the FDA could still reject it or require additional data, which may delay commercialization.
- Potential market receptivity for MK-6240 as a radiopharmaceutical diagnostic may be low due to competition from existing products, which could hinder its adoption.
- There are substantial uncertainties related to the safety and efficacy of MK-6240, which could impact public and physician confidence and affect sales if it is approved.
FAQ
What is MK-6240?
MK-6240 is an investigational F18-labeled PET imaging agent targeting tau neurofibrillary tangles for Alzheimer's disease diagnostics.
What does FDA acceptance of MK-6240 mean?
FDA acceptance of MK-6240's NDA signifies recognition of its potential in addressing unmet needs in Alzheimer’s disease diagnostics.
What are the clinical trial results for MK-6240?
MK-6240’s clinical trials successfully met endpoints for sensitivity and specificity in detecting tau pathology in early Alzheimer’s disease.
When is the FDA’s action date for MK-6240?
The FDA has set a PDUFA target action date of August 13, 2026, for MK-6240's approval decision.
How does MK-6240 fit into existing Alzheimer’s diagnostics?
If approved, MK-6240 will complement current beta-amyloid PET imaging and other diagnostic tools for Alzheimer’s treatment strategies.
Disclaimer: This is an AI-generated summary of a press release distributed by GlobeNewswire. The model used to summarize this release may make mistakes. See the full release here.
$LNTH Insider Trading Activity
$LNTH insiders have traded $LNTH stock on the open market 14 times in the past 6 months. Of those trades, 0 have been purchases and 14 have been sales.
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$LNTH Hedge Fund Activity
We have seen 225 institutional investors add shares of $LNTH stock to their portfolio, and 281 decrease their positions in their most recent quarter.
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$LNTH Analyst Ratings
Wall Street analysts have issued reports on $LNTH in the last several months. We have seen 4 firms issue buy ratings on the stock, and 0 firms issue sell ratings.
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- B. Riley Securities issued a "Buy" rating on 09/16/2025
- TD Cowen issued a "Buy" rating on 09/15/2025
- JMP Securities issued a "Market Outperform" rating on 08/07/2025
- Mizuho issued a "Outperform" rating on 08/07/2025
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$LNTH Price Targets
Multiple analysts have issued price targets for $LNTH recently. We have seen 6 analysts offer price targets for $LNTH in the last 6 months, with a median target of $75.0.
Here are some recent targets:
- Paul Choi from Goldman Sachs set a target price of $77.0 on 10/08/2025
- Justin Walsh from B. Riley Securities set a target price of $84.0 on 09/16/2025
- Tara Bancroft from TD Cowen set a target price of $80.0 on 09/15/2025
- Richard Newitter from Truist Securities set a target price of $63.0 on 08/12/2025
- Anthony Petrone from Mizuho set a target price of $70.0 on 08/07/2025
- David Turkaly from JMP Securities set a target price of $73.0 on 08/07/2025
Full Release
BEDFORD, Mass., Oct. 28, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Lantheus Holdings, Inc. (“Lantheus”) (NASDAQ: LNTH), the leading radiopharmaceutical-focused company committed to enabling clinicians to Find, Fight and Follow disease to deliver better patient outcomes, today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted its New Drug Application (NDA) for MK-6240, the company’s investigational F18-labeled tau-targeted Positron Emission Tomography (PET) imaging agent for the detection of tau neurofibrillary tangle (NFT) pathology in patients with cognitive impairment being evaluated for Alzheimer’s disease. MK-6240 previously received Fast Track designation from the FDA for its potential to address an unmet medical need in Alzheimer’s disease diagnostics. The FDA has set a Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA) target action date of August 13, 2026.
“We’re pleased the FDA has accepted our Fast Track application for MK-6240, highlighting the urgent need for innovative Alzheimer’s diagnostic tools and the potential of MK-6240 to meet that need by enabling direct visualization of tau pathology,” said Brian Markison, CEO, Lantheus. “With over 100 disease-modifying therapies in development, including about 30 targeting tau and 40 targeting beta amyloid, imaging plays a critical role in diagnosis and treatment selection. If approved, MK-6240 would complement beta-amyloid PET imaging and emerging blood-based diagnostics, helping guide treatment strategies for providers and patients.”
The NDA submission is supported by data from two pivotal Phase 3 clinical trials, which evaluated MK-6240’s performance in detecting tau pathology in early Alzheimer’s disease. These studies met their co-primary endpoints of sensitivity and specificity to detect tau NFTs.
  
   About Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementia
  
  
  Alzheimer’s disease is a degenerative neurological disorder that causes a decline in cognition and function. In the U.S., there are nearly 12 million people living with mild cognitive impairment or Alzheimer’s disease. As the population ages, it is likely that the prevalence of this disease will continue to rise and, by 2050, the number of people 65 and older with mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer’s disease may grow to more than 20 million.
  
   1
  
 
Driven by rising prevalence, more treatment options, and expanded PET imaging guidelines, the U.S. Alzheimer’s Disease radiodiagnostic market has the potential to reach over 400,000 scans and $1.5 billion by 2030. 2
  
   About MK-6240
  
  
  MK-6240 is designed to target aggregated tau protein in the form of neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs), a key hallmark of several neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer’s disease. MK-6240 has demonstrated a high affinity for tau and limited off-target binding in both preclinical and clinical studies.
  
   3,4
  
  Acquired by Lantheus in 2023, MK-6240 previously received Fast Track designation and is currently being used in nearly 100 active clinical trials. We anticipate that MK-6240 will support earlier disease detection, patient staging, therapy selection, and monitoring, and may help enable tau to serve as a surrogate endpoint for treatment efficacy.
 
  
   About Lantheus
  
  
  Lantheus is the leading radiopharmaceutical-focused company, delivering life-changing science to enable clinicians to Find, Fight and Follow disease to deliver better patient outcomes. Headquartered in Massachusetts with offices in New Jersey, Canada, Germany, Sweden, Switzerland and United Kingdom, Lantheus has been providing radiopharmaceutical solutions for nearly 70 years. For more information, visit
  
   www.lantheus.com
  
  .
 
  
   Safe Harbor for Forward-Looking and Cautionary Statements
  
  
  This press release contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, as amended, that are subject to risks and uncertainties and are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Forward-looking statements may be identified by their use of terms such as "designed,” “growing,” “potential,” “would,” and other similar terms. Such forward-looking statements are based upon current plans, estimates and expectations that are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to materially differ from those described in the forward-looking statements. The inclusion of forward-looking statements should not be regarded as a representation that such plans, estimates and expectations will be achieved. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements contained herein, which speak only as of the date hereof. The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise, except as may be required by law. Risks and uncertainties that could cause our actual results to materially differ from those described in the forward-looking statements include: (i) a delay in obtaining, or failure to obtain, a positive regulatory outcome from the FDA for MK-6240; (ii) our ability to launch MK-6240 as a commercial product; (iii) the market receptivity to MK-6240 as a radiopharmaceutical diagnostic; (iv) the existence, availability and profile of competing products; (v) our ability to obtain and maintain adequate coding, coverage and payment for MK-6240; (vi) the safety and efficacy of MK-6240; (vii) the intellectual property protection of MK-6240; (viii) our ability to successfully develop and scale the manufacturing capabilities to support the launch of MK-6240; and (ix) the risks and uncertainties discussed in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (including those described in the Risk Factors section in our most recently filed Annual Report on Form 10-K and Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q).
 
  
   1
  
  Alzheimer’s Association. 2024 Alzheimer’s Disease Facts and Figures. Alzheimer’s Dement 2024;20(5).
  
  
   2
  
  Addressable market based on current management estimates, internal data, and current WAC / 340B pricing.
  
  
   3
  
  Krishnadas N, Doré V, Robertson JS, Ward L, Fowler C, Masters CL, Bourgeat P, Fripp J, Villemagne VL, Rowe CC. Rates of regional tau accumulation in ageing and across the Alzheimer’s disease continuum: an AIBL 18F-MK-6240 PET study. EBioMedicine. 2023 Feb;88:104450. doi: 10.1016/j.ebiom.2023.104450. Epub 2023 Jan 27. PMID: 36709581; PMCID: PMC9900352.
  
  
   4
  
  Lohith TG, Bennacef I, Vandenberghe R, Vandenbulcke M, Salinas CA, Declercq R, Reynders T, Telan-Choing NF, Riffel K, Celen S, Serdons K, Bormans G, Tsai K, Walji A, Hostetler ED, Evelhoch JL, Van Laere K, Forman M, Stoch A, Sur C, Struyk A. Brain imaging of Alzheimer dementia patients and elderly controls with 18F-MK-6240, a PET tracer targeting neurofibrillary tangles. J Nucl Med. 2019 Jan;60(1):107-114. doi: 10.2967/jnumed.118.208215. Epub 2018 Jun 7. PMID: 29880509.
  
 
  
   Contacts:
  
  
 
  
   Lantheus
  
  
  Mark Kinarney
  
  Vice President, Investor Relations
  
  978-671-8842
  
  
   [email protected]
  
 
  Melissa Downs
  
  Executive Director, External Communications
  
  646-975-2533
  
  
   [email protected]
  
 
 
         
       
       
    